To help readers of The Choice navigate this often complex part of the financial aid process, we have invited Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com, to answer select reader questions about the Fafsa in the blog’s Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

In this sixth installment of answers, Mr. Kantrowitz responds to questions about hiring a professional to complete the Fafsa, sending the form to additional schools, what to do if a divorced parent refuses to support their child’s college education, and whether wealthy parents should complete the Fafsa.

Some questions, and answers, below have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

Hiring a Professional

Q.

There seems to be so many gotchas with filling out the Fafsa. Is it worth getting a professional to fill and/or review the Fafsa, considering a mistake on the form may cost you getting less or no assistance?

— Sara

A.

There are several sources of free help. The Federal Student Aid Information Center, which is run by a contractor on behalf of the federal Department of Education, can answer questions about the Fafsa and federal student aid at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). Many states run College Goal Sunday events in January, February and March to help families complete the Fafsa.

There is currently no independent professional certification of the knowledge and skills of paid preparers of the Fafsa. Even a certified public accountant or certified financial planner may not have in-depth knowledge of the intricacies of federal student aid laws and regulations.

If you need help in completing the Fafsa, look for someone who is a retired college financial aid administrator. Beware of anyone who refuses to sign the paid preparer section of the Fafsa. Try not to spend too much money on help from a paid preparer. Beware of bogus guarantees.

Filing the Fafsa for Additional Colleges

Q.

Do we have to send the Fafsa to colleges all at once or can we send an additional Fafsa to a college that we applied to at the last minute? Do we have to wait between the initial submission and the additional submission for the last college?

— Nuri Delen

A.

The Fafsa may be sent to additional colleges by changing the list of colleges on the Fafsa. Wait until you receive the Student Aid Report (SAR) before changing the list of colleges, as that is a sign that the initial set of colleges has received the student’s Fafsa data.

When a Parent Refuses to Pay

Q.

My wife and I were married three years ago. I had already put four kids through college, as a single parent for over 10 years. My wife’s kids — all younger — are either in college, or high school.

The children’s father has already declared he would not support their college education, leaving it all to my wife. Unfortunately, it appears that her ability to secure financial need-based aid for her kids is now adversely affected by the fact that we are now married, and the addition of my income disqualifies her for aid her kids used to (or would have) received.

This means that I am now considered “responsible” for funding college for these kids, when their dad (an architect) has declined to do so (and since he is in New Jersey, it appears he doesn’t have to).

Is this right, and is there any option we can pursue? Thanks.

— Michael Richards

A.

When a student’s parents are divorced, the custodial parent is responsible for completing the Fafsa. If the custodial parent has remarried, the step-parent’s income and asset information must be reported on the Fafsa. Prenuptial agreements are irrelevant, as the step-parent’s information is required by federal law. If the step-parent is wealthy, this can have a big impact on eligibility for need-based financial aid.

Primary responsibility for paying for college rests with the family, not the federal government. The government only steps in when the parents are unable to pay for college, not when the parents are unwilling to pay for college.

Sometimes it can help to involve the noncustodial parent in the college search and selection process, especially if the noncustodial parent has a good relationship with the child. Divorced parents often resent it when they are treated as nothing more than a checkbook.

Some states, including New Jersey, allow courts to order the noncustodial parent to help pay for college costs.

Fafsa Advice for Wealthy Parents

Q.

Our income is over $300,000 a year. We will give each of our three children $35,000 a year for college. They will likely attend private colleges at $60,000 per year and will thus need to take out loans, jobs, etc., for the difference. Is it worth filing the Fafsa, or the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE to see how the children can own some of their education?

— Ann

A.

The Fafsa is a prerequisite for federal education loans, including the Stafford and PLUS loans. The unsubsidized Stafford and Parent PLUS loans do not depend on financial need, so even wealthy students may qualify for them.

The aggregate Stafford loan limit for dependent students is $31,000, with annual limits that start at $5,500 as a freshman and increase to $7,500 as a senior. Any additional debt will be through either the Parent PLUS loan program or private student loans. Parent PLUS loans are borrowed by parents of dependent students to pay for the student’s undergraduate education. Most private student loans require a creditworthy co-signer, which is typically the parent. A co-signer is a co-borrower, equally obligated to repay the debt. So a student will need help from his or her parents to borrow beyond the Stafford loan limits. This does not make sense when the parents are wealthy.

If the children enroll at colleges costing $60,000 a year, they will be left with a burden of $25,000 per year, or $100,000 over four years. They are unlikely to be able to make much of a dent in this figure through part-time jobs. Students who work full time while enrolled in college are half as likely to graduate as students who work 12 hours or less per week. In all likelihood they will be left with an unreasonable level of debt by the time they graduate.

Total student loan debt at graduation should be less than the student’s annual starting salary, and ideally a lot less. If total debt is less than the annual income, the student will be able to repay the loans in 10 years or less. If total debt exceeds annual income, the student will struggle to make the monthly loan payments and will need an alternate repayment plan like extended repayment or income-based repayment.

The average debt at graduation for bachelor’s degree recipients last year was about $27,000.

Mr. Kantrowitz is no longer taking questions. However, if you would like to continue to discuss the Fafsa and financial aid, please feel free to do so using the comment box below.

While states and colleges urge students to prepare a federal student aid application (FAFSA) early, this year seven states are cautioning students to prepare ‘as close to January 1st as possible’ because aid funds may be depleted faster than in previous years.

While financial aid is largely awarded on a first come, first served basis, the states of Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Washington are telling students that aid – especially need-based grants – will go quickly because state funds are limited because of the economic recession of the past three years. State grant aid for undergraduate students has dropped about 2 percent from five years ago, according to the National Association of State Student Grant Aid Administrators. The downward trend is expected to continue.

Students complete the FAFSA on the U.S. Department of Education’s website at no cost, or trust a professional, fee-based FAFSA preparation for assistance, just like getting help with income taxes. Using a professional, fee-based service can help students prepare their aid application on time and accurately. (The federal government authorizes both options via the Higher Education Opportunity Act.) Accuracy is important because FAFSA errors can reduce aid awards.